The original campus was in the City of Clayton. The university was granted an expansive site of 100 hectares of open land in Clayton.[11] The 100 hectares of land consists of the former Talbot Epileptic Colony.[12]

From its first intake of 357 students at Clayton on 13 March 1961, the university grew rapidly in size and student numbers so that by 1967, it had enrolled more than 21,000 students since its establishment.[13] In its early years, it offered undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in engineering, medicine, science, arts, economics, politics, education, and law. It was a major provider for international student places under the Colombo Plan, which saw the first Asian students enter the Australian education system.

In its early years of teaching, research and administration, Monash did not have entrenched traditional practices, and as such, Monash was able to adopt modern approaches without significant resistance.[citation needed] A modern administrative structure was set up; Australia's first research centres and scholarships devoted to Indigenous Australians were established.[citation needed]

The university was named after the prominent Australian general Sir John Monash.[14] This was the first time in Australia that a university had been named after a person, rather than a city or state.[15]

From the mid-1960s to the early 1970s, Monash became the centre of student radicalism in Australia.[16][17] It was the site of many mass student demonstrations, particularly concerning Australia's role in Vietnam War and conscription.[18] By the late 1960s, several student organisations, some of which were influenced by or supporters of communism, turned their focus to Vietnam, with numerous blockades and sit-ins.[19] In one extraordinary event that came to be known as the Monash Siege, students forced then Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser to hide in a basement at the Alexander Theatre, in a major protest over the Whitlam dismissal.[20]

In the late 1970s and 1980s, some of Monash's most publicised research came through its pioneering of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). Led by Carl Wood and Alan Trounson, the Monash IVF Program achieved the world's first clinical IVF pregnancy in 1973.[21] In 1980, they delivered the first IVF baby in Australia.[22] This eventually became a massive source of revenue for the university at a time when university funding in Australia was beginning to slow down.

In the late 1980s, the Dawkins Reforms changed the landscape of higher education in Australia. Under the leadership of Vice-Chancellor Mal Logan, Monash transformed dramatically. In 1988, Monash University had only one campus in Clayton, with around 15,000 students.[23] Just over a decade later, it had 8 campuses (including 2 overseas), a European research and teaching centre, and more than 50,000 students, making it the largest and most internationalised Australian university.[24]

Expansion of the university began in 1990 with a series of mergers between Monash, the Chisholm Institute of Technology, and the Gippsland Institute of Advanced Education. In 1991 a merger with the Victorian College of Pharmacy created a new faculty of the university. This continued in 1994, with the establishment of the Berwick campus.[25]

In 1998, the university opened the Malaysia campus, its first overseas campus and the first foreign university in Malaysia. In 2001, Monash South Africa opened its doors in Johannesburg, making Monash the first foreign university in South Africa. The same year, the university secured an 18th-century Tuscan palace to open a research and teaching centre in Prato, Italy.

At the same time, Australian universities faced unprecedented demand for international student places, which Monash met on a larger scale than most. Today, around 30% of its students are from outside Australia.[26] Monash students come from over 100 different countries, and speak over 90 different languages. The increase in international students, combined with the university's expansion, meant that Monash's income greatly increased throughout the 1990s, and it is now one of Australia's top 200 exporters.[27]

In recent years, the university has been prominent in medical research. A highlight of this came in 2000, when Alan Trounson led the team of scientists which announced to the world that nerve stem cells could be derived from embryonic stem cells, a discovery which led to a dramatic increase in interest in the potential of stem cells.[28] It has also led to Monash being ranked in the top 20 universities in the world for biomedicine.[29]

In 2014, the university ceded its Gippsland campus to Federation University.[32] On 15 July 2016, Monash confirmed that Federation University Australia would take over the operations of the Berwick campus prior to the end of 2018.[33]

The Clayton campus covers an area over 1.1 km² and is the largest of the Monash campuses. Clayton is the flagship campus for Monash, demanding higher ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) scores than all the other campuses, with the exception of Parkville. Clayton is home to the faculties of Arts, Business & Economics, Education, Engineering, IT, Law, Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences and Science. The Clayton campus has its own suburb and postcode (3800).

The campus is also home to numerous restaurants and retail outlets, as well as student bars Sir John's (located in the Campus Centre) and the Notting Hill Hotel (founded in 1891),[35] both of which are hubs of social life on the campus.[36]

The Caulfield campus is Monash University's second largest. Its multifaceted nature is reflected in the range of programs it offers through the faculties of Arts, Art Design & Architecture (MADA), Business & Economics, Information Technology and Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. A major building program has been announced, to expand teaching facilities, provide student accommodation and redevelop the shopping centre.

The Peninsula campus has a teaching and research focus on health and wellbeing, and is a hub of undergraduate and postgraduates studies in Nursing, Health Science, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Psychology – and particularly in Emergency Health (Paramedic) courses.

The campus is located in the bayside suburb of Frankston on the edge of Melbourne.
Peninsula campus also offers a range of courses including those from its historic roots with early childhood and primary education (during the 1960s and 1970s the campus was the State Teachers' College), and Business & Economics (since the merger of the State Teachers' College with the Caulfield Institute of Technology to create the Chisholm Institute of Technology in 1982). The campus was also home to the Peninsula School of Information Technology, which in 2006 was wound back with Information Technology units previously offered being relocated to the Caulfield campus.

Located in The Alfred Hospital, Monash University's Alfred campus houses the Central Clinical School[38] and the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine,[39] which contains the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine[40] and the Department of Forensic Medicine.[41]

The Parkville campus is situated in the Melbourne suburb of Parkville, around 2 km north of the Melbourne CBD on Royal Parade. The campus is the home of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. The faculty specialises in the areas of formulation science and medicinal chemistry and offers the Bachelor of Pharmacy and Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science undergraduate degrees, the latter replacing the Bachelor of Formulation Science in 2007 and the Bachelor of Medicinal Chemistry in 2008. Double degrees are also offered including the Bachelor of Pharmacy/Commerce with the Business and Economics faculty at Clayton, and also the Bachelor of Engineering/Pharmaceutical Science with the Engineering faculty. It also offers postgraduate degrees.

The Monash University Malaysia campus opened in 1998 in Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia. The Sunway campus offers various undergraduate degrees through its faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences, Engineering, Information Technology, Business, and Arts and Sciences. It is currently home to over 7,636 students.
The new purpose-built campus opened in 2007, providing a high-tech home for Monash in Malaysia. In addition to a wide range of undergraduate degrees, the campus also offers both postgraduate Masters and PhD programs. Its degrees in Medicine and Surgery are the first medical degrees outside Australia and New Zealand to be accredited by the Australian Medical Council.[42]

In August 2013 Monash University announced it had entered a partnership that will enable its South African presence to grow and enhance its educational offering. The partnership is with Laureate International Universities.[citation needed]

The Monash University Prato Centre is located in the 18th-century palace, Palazzo Vaj, in the historic centre of Prato, a city near Florence in Italy. Primarily, it hosts staff and students from Monash's other campuses for semesters in Law, Art Design & Architecture, History, Music, and Criminology as well as various international conferences. It was officially opened on 17 September 2001 as part of the university's vigorous internationalisation policy.[43]

The IITB-Monash Research Academy opened in 2008 and is situated in Mumbai, India.[44] It is a partnership between Monash and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. It aims to carry out high impact research in engineering and sciences, particularly clean energy, biotechnology and nanotechnology. Students undertake their research in both India and Australia, with supervisors from both Monash and IITB. Upon graduating, they receive a dual PhD from the two institutions.[45] In the month following its official opening, 36 joint projects had commenced, with a further several hundred planned.

In August 2015 Christopher Pyne, Australian Minister for Education and Training, officially opened the new Monash-IITB Research Academy Building in Mumbai, India.[46]

As part of the university's expansion in the 1990s, Monash took over the operations of the Gippsland Institute of Advanced Education in 1990. The commitment to regional higher education on the part of the university was a progressive and bold step, however, the operation of the Gippsland campus was always fraught with some tension between the priorities of the metropolitan-centred campuses at Clayton and Caulfield versus the needs and aspirations of the regional one.

The Gippsland campus of Monash University was the mainstay of the university's commitment to distance education, pioneering courses such as journalism, multimedia, fine arts, and outdoor sport and recreation. Between 2005 and 2010, many of these programs were transferred to city campuses, thus losing their distinctive regional flavour. At its peak enrolment in 2007, the campus was home to 2,000 on-campus students, 5,000 off-campus students and nearly 400 staff. The campus sits in the Latrobe Valley town of Churchill, 142 km east of Melbourne on 63 hectares of landscaped grounds. Until 2014 it was the only non-metropolitan campus of Monash University. The campus offered many undergraduate degrees, attracting students from the Latrobe Valley, East and West Gippsland.

Ballarat University joined with Monash University Gippsland campus to form a new regional university known as Federation University Australia from 1 January 2014. As of that date, Monash began the process of teaching out its courses at Gippsland with only a medical school presence to remain after the merger.[50]

The former Berwick campus of Monash University was built on the old Casey airfield in the south-eastern growth corridor of Victoria, Australia. The town of Berwick has experienced an influx of people and development in recent times, which includes the new campus of Monash University. With a presence in the area since 1994, the first Monash Berwick campus building was completed in 1996 and the third building in March 2004. It was situated on a 55-hectare site in the City of Casey, then one of the three fastest growing municipalities in Australia. Monash announced the closure of this campus to staff and students on 7 March 2016. On 15 July 2016 it was announced that Federation University Australia would take responsibility for the Berwick Campus from 2017 pending government approvals.[51] This officially commenced on 1 January 2018, as a campus of Federation University Australia.

Various other academic organisations exist alongside the faculties and research centres. Monash College provides students with an alternative point of entry to Monash University.[52] The institution offers pathway studies for students who endeavour to undertake studies at one of Monash's campuses. The College's specialised undergraduate diplomas (Diploma Part 2 is equivalent to first-year university) provide an alternative entry point into more than 60 Monash University bachelor degrees, taught intensively in smaller classes and an environment overall similar to that offered by the university. Monash College offers programs in several countries throughout the world, with colleges located in Australia, China, Malaysia, India, Italy and South Africa.[53]

The vice-chancellor is the chief executive of the university, who is head of Monash's day-to-day activities. The vice-chancellor is also the university president of Monash. In North America and parts of Europe, the equivalent role is the president or principal. The current vice-chancellor and president is Margaret Gardner. She was named as the vice-chancellor and president in December 2013. She is the first woman to hold the position and commenced in September 2014.[54]

The chancellor is chair of the university council and provides advice to the vice-chancellor, as well as having ceremonial duties.

The Good Universities Guide places the Clayton, Caulfield, Parkville and Peninsula campuses of Monash in the category of universities which are most difficult to gain admission to in Australia, with each campus receiving an Entry Standards mark of 5/5.[55] Monash has the highest demand for places among high school graduates of any university in Victoria.[56] In 2009, one in four applicants put Monash as their first preference.[57] This equates to more than 15,000 first preferences from Victorian high school leavers. Of the top 5% of high school graduates in Victoria, more choose Monash than any other institution. In 2010, almost half of the top 5% of high school leavers chose to attend Monash – the highest of any Victorian university by quite some margin.[58] In 2009, among students with a "perfect" ENTER score of 99.95 (i.e. students in the top 0.05% of high school applicants), 63 made an application for Monash.

Times Higher Education ranked Monash University Australia's leading university in Engineering and Technology in 2016.[69] In 2018, QS World ranked Monash University #2 globally for Pharmacy & Pharmacology, and #26 globally for Law.

Some of the university's notable research achievements include the world's first IVF pregnancy, the first seatbelt legislation, the discovery of the anti-influenza drug Relenza (Zanamivir), the discovery that nerve stem cells could be derived from embryonic stem cells and the development of a single-use oral anti-malaria drug.[76]

Located at the Sir Louis Matheson Library on the Clayton Campus, the Rare Books Collection consists of over 100,000 items, valued because of their age, uniqueness or physical beauty, which can be accessed by Monash staff and students.[77] The collection was started in 1961 when the university librarian purchased original manuscripts by Jonathan Swift and some of his contemporaries. The collection now consists of a range of items including photography, children's books, 15th- to 17th-century English and French literature, original manuscripts and pamphlets. A variety of exhibitions are hosted throughout the year in the Rare Books area.[78]

The Monash University Museum of Art (MUMA) was founded in 1961 and is located on the university's Caulfield Campus.[79] The establishment of the Museum reflected a desire by the university's founders for students to obtain a broad education, including an appreciation and understanding of the arts. Its collection has now grown to over 1500 works,[80] including a variety of items from artists such as Arthur Boyd, William Dobell, Sidney Nolan, Howard Arkley, Tracey Moffatt, John Perceval, Fred Williams and Bill Henson. While the gallery's focus is on contemporary Australian art, it houses a number of international works and exhibitions. It hosts regular exhibitions which are open to Monash students and staff, as well as the general public.[81] The current Curator of the Museum is Charlotte Day.[82]

The Switchback Gallery was opened in 1995[citation needed] in the landscaped gardens of the university's Gippsland Campus. It hosts a diverse range of exhibitions each year, from work by Monash students, to displays by international artists.[83]

In 2011 Monash had over 63,000 students across its campuses. Of these, around 46,000 are undergraduate students, 12,500 are graduate or postgraduate and 4,500 are undertaking higher degrees by research.

Around 65% of Monash students have domestic citizenship (i.e. they are citizens of the country in which their main campus is located). Around 39% are international students.[8] The international students are from over 100 different countries and speak around 90 different languages. Over 50% of Monash students have a language other than English as their mother language.[8]

Sport at Monash University is overseen by Monash Sport, a department of the university which employs over 200 staff.[85] Currently, there are over 50 sporting clubs at the university.[86]

Each campus has a range of sporting facilities used by students and staff, including football, cricket, hockey, soccer, rugby and baseball fields; tennis, squash and badminton courts; gyms and swimming pools. The university also had an alpine lodge at Mount Buller until the end of 2011.

Monash's sporting teams compete in a range of local and national competitions. Monash sends the largest number of students of any Australian university to the Australian University Games, in which it was Overall Champion in 2008 and 2009.[87]

Monash Residential Services (MRS) is responsible for co-ordinating the operation of on-campus halls of residence. MRS manages a variety of facilities on campus at Clayton and Peninsula:

List of colleges

College

Year of foundation

Howitt Hall (Clayton)

1966–

Farrer Hall (Clayton)

1965–

Richardson Hall (Clayton)

1972–

Deakin Hall (Clayton)

1962–

Roberts Hall (Clayton)

1971–

Normanby House (Clayton)

1969–78 (as Marist College), 1978–

Jackomos Hall (Clayton)

2012–

Briggs Hall (Clayton)

2012–

South East Flats (Clayton)

Campbell Hall (Clayton)

2016–

Holman Hall (Clayton)

2016–

Logan Hall (Clayton)

2016–

Turner Hall (Clayton)

2015–

Peninsula Residential

Gillies Hall (Peninsula)

2019–

Mannix College, founded in 1969 and owned by the Catholic Church was originally an all-male college administered by the Dominican order. Mannix is affiliated with the university.

Marist College, founded by the Marist order, was established in November 1969 as a traditional all-male college, with an attached seminary.[88] Marist College had closed by 1978, the university subsequently purchasing the college and naming it Normanby House.[89]

The Gippsland campus had on-campus accommodation including the self-catering West House and East House.

Monash University has two Non-Residential Colleges that were established in 2013. They are Pegasus College at the Caulfield Campus, and Orion College at the Clayton Campus.

Howitt Hall is the tallest Monash residential building, standing 12 stories high, with a good view of the other halls and the university. As with Deakin Hall, Farrer Hall, Roberts Hall, Richardson Hall and Normanby House, Howitt Hall is a traditional hall of residence.[90] It is the third oldest hall, and was opened in September 1966. The hall is named after Alfred Howitt, a scholar and prominent figure in early Gippsland.

Farrer Hall was officially opened in 1965. It is divided into two buildings, Commons and Lords, with an annexe to Commons called Chastity which is located above the common room. The hall's design, like that of Deakin Hall, Howitt Hall and Normanby House, is traditional, with corridors on each floor and kitchens, laundries and common rooms shared across them.[91] The hall was named after William Farrer, who developed many strains of wheat suited to Australian conditions.

Richardson Hall (Richo) was established in 1972. The hall was designed with stairwells rather than corridors,[92] and originally had its own dining hall. Richardson is home to 190 residents. The hall is named after Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson, a prominent Australian author who adopted the male pseudonym Henry Handel Richardson.

Deakin Hall was officially opened in September 1962 and was Australia's first co-educational University residence hall - although the women and men were housed on separate floors.[93][94] The hall consists of two wings - Old Deakin and New Deakin - which form a large courtyard. Old Deakin contained the hall's Dining Hall which operated for some years before a nearby separate central dining building complex was built c. 1966. The new complex housed individual dining rooms for Deakin Hall, Farrer Hall and Howitt Hall which were all linked via a common kitchen.[95][96] Deakin Hall was named after Alfred Deakin, Prime Minister from 1903–1910 and father of the Australian Constitution.

Roberts Hall is named after Tom Roberts, an Australian artist who was affectionately known as "the bulldog". Founded in 1971, the hall was designed with stairwells rather than corridors,[92] and originally had its own dining hall. The hall's mascot is a bulldog in recognition of the nickname of its namesake - Tom Roberts.

Jackomos Hall and Briggs Hall are twin residences which opened in 2012. They are named after two prominent Indigenous women, Merle Jackomos and Geraldine Briggs.

Campbell Hall, Holman Hall, Logan Hall and Turner Hall are the most recently built halls at Monash Clayton campus and consist of self-contained studio apartments.

Normanby House was first established as Marist College. It was founded by the Marist order and was established in November 1969 as a traditional all-male college, with an attached seminary.[97] Marist College had closed by 1978, the university subsequently purchasing the college and naming it Normanby House.[98][89]

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Mannix College is a Catholic residential college affiliated with Monash,[99] located near the south-western corner of the university's Clayton campus. Established in 1969, the college was originally an all-male foundation. Mannix's college motto "Omnia Omnibus" means "All things to all People". The shield of Mannix College combines elements of Archbishop Daniel Mannix - after whom the college was named - Sir John Monash and the Dominican Order. From the shield of Mannix the gryphon and crescents are taken together with the motto. The shield of Sir John Monash, used by the university named after him, shows the inverted chevron, the Southern Cross, the open book and sword in pale blue surrounded by a crown of laurel. The black-and-white border is drawn from the shield of the Dominican Order.[100]

1100 Monash graduates (or 8.33% of the total biographical listings) are listed among the 13,200 biographies of Australia's most notable individuals in the 2008 edition of Who's Who in Australia. Likewise, 10% of Australia's top 50 CEOs completed their undergraduate degree at Monash.[101]

^ ab"Clayton Residential Village". Residential Services, Monash University. Retrieved 28 November 2016. The 'stairway-style' residences (i.e Richardson and Roberts) are a little different. There are four rooms on each floor, connected vertically by a stairway to similar floors above and below..

^"8 Review - 5 unbelieveable facts about Monash University". Powered by WordPress and Gridbox. Retrieved 24 November 2016. First Co-Ed Residence - Monash University’s Deakin Hall was Australia’s first co-educational on-campus residence. When Deakin Hall opened in 1962 it created quite a sensation as men and women students had never shared the same building before. At first, men and women lived on separate floors, but that changed later. Alfred Deakin was Australia’s prime minister from 1903–1910